BMW had already caused a sensation yesterday by presenting an electric SUV with monstrous power, but the brand continues to be talked about.
CES is always a fertile ground for innovations of all kinds, and the future of technology is often emerging in the aisles of Las Vegas. While this 2022 edition is marked by a strong absence of tech giants, the streets are not deserted for all that.
Among the prestigious firms that made the trip, we can easily talk about the German automobile, which with Mercedes and BMW already stood out at this show. While the star brand presented a very interesting concept, its Bavarian neighbor responded yesterday with an overpowered electric vehicle. The iX M60, it’s its nickname, is a twin engine monster weighing over 2.5 tonnes, capable – literally – of climbing trees. With insane power that exceeds 1000Nm of torque, the car is BMW’s most powerful M-series model.
iX Flow, the chameleon car will wait
But in addition to this colorful presentation, BMW did not hesitate to demonstrate its new technology called “Flow”. According to one of the brand’s board members, Frank Weber, this innovation allows the body of a car to “come to life”. Because this new iX Flow, if there is nothing exceptional under the hood, can change color.
If it is not yet a real chameleon, the car is able, thanks to a self-adhesive film which surrounds it, to go from black to white while crossing many shades of gray. To achieve such a result, BMW teamed up with E Ink, a company specializing in the design of self-adhesive filters.
An ecological color change?
But it’s not all a simple matter of aesthetics. Indeed, BMW manages to take advantage of this new system to make the car more energy efficient. The Bavarian brand explains that the car could thus be completely white in summer, thus reflecting the sunlight as much as possible. But on the other side of the spectrum, in the dead of winter when the temperature is low, the car would turn black, able to absorb the heat from the sun’s rays.
The goal, as BMW explains very well, is to reduce the energy consumption of the car by limiting the use of air conditioning or heating. On an electric car where the question of autonomy is king, this is not a simple point of detail.
From a more technical point of view, the blue and white mark explains that this self-adhesive film is traversed by an electric current. The latter will then “turn on” or “turn off” small capsules which are stuck all over the filter. Once the current passes, the capsules are white, and vice versa.
I’ve been lucky enough to launch some pretty amazing things in my career so far, but a color changing car has to be up there.
Introducing the BMW iX Flow with E Ink… pic.twitter.com/XeWOUoRYBV– Helen Wilson ✨ (@helenwilsonxx) January 5, 2022
